A father and his three sons have been cleared of taking part in a disturbance in the centre of Holsworthy in which they were confronted by up to 20 men.

Steven Quinlan and sons Jake, Blaine and Charlie, all walked free from the dock at Exeter Crown Court after being cleared of all charges arising from the violence which flared after a Halloween fancy dress party.

They were cleared after defence lawyers told the jury there was no forensic evidence to link them to a vicious stamping attack which left barman Ricky Cobbledick with serious head injuries.

Footwear seized from all four defendants did not match a clearly defined foot mark left on the chin and throat of the victim when he was found semi-conscious in the street.

The shoes were never sent for full forensic analysis because of the dissimilarity, a move which defence barrister Richard Crabb described as “amateur night at Bideford police station”.

The Quinlan family told the jury they were the victims of mob justice and were picked on because they were considered outsiders because they came from a village outside Holsworthy itself.

They said the serious injuries suffered by Mr Cobbledick were inflicted by another man named James Clarke, who jumped into their car as they were leaving the scene.

Clarke denied having attacked anyone but became abusive while being cross examined and swore at defence counsel when they asked about his previous convictions, which included an assault in almost exactly the same spot a few months earlier.